Strong high pressure behind a surface front caused high winds to impact portions of western Nebraska on November 30th, 2008. Sustained winds met or exceeded 40 mph with wind gusts as high as 65 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS LBF wrote it up.
Strong high pressure behind a surface front caused high winds to impact portions of western Nebraska on November 30th, 2008. Sustained winds met or exceeded 40 mph with wind gusts as high as 65 mph.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 1:39 AM MST, 8 hours 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 239 AM CST SUN NOV 30 2008 .SYNOPSIS... ANTICYCLONICALLY CURVED UPR LVL JET...WITH SPEEDS OF 150-175 KT...WAS POSITIONED AT 00Z/SUN FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA SOUTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. FAST FLOW EXTENDS TOWARD THE SFC AS WELL /700 MB SPEEDS OF 60-65 KT AT GGW AND UNR/...AND WILL SPREAD SOUTH INTO WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA DURING THE NEXT 12 HRS. THE FAST MOMENTUM WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY COOLING LOW/MID LVL TEMPERATURES...RESULTING IN STEEPENING LAPSE RATES OVER THE CWA AND VERY WINDY CONDITIONS SUNDAY MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. && .DISCUSSION... THE LOW CLOUDS THAT RESULTED IN LIMITED SFC HEATING OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEB DURING SATURDAY...ARE FCST TO PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF SUNDAY AS WELL. THIS WILL ONCE AGAIN RESULT IN TEMPERATURES HOVERING AROUND FREEZING OVER THAT AREA...WHILE MORE SEASONABLE AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED OVER FAR WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN NEB. VERY STRONG FLOW OVER THE LOWEST 2 KM WILL SPREAD SOUTH INTO THE CWA BETWEEN 12-18Z SUNDAY /PARTIALLY IN RESPONSE TO STRENGTHENING CYCLONE OVER THE OH VALLEY...AS WELL AS INTENSE MID/UPR LVL JET SHIFTING TOWARDS THE REGION/. THIS STRENGTHENING FLOW WILL OCCUR IN CONJUNCTION WITH STEEPENING LOW LVL LAPSE RATES...PARTICULARLY OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 KT /WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 KT/ STILL APPEAR POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF GARDEN...DEUEL...KEITH...PERKINS AND CHASE COUNTIES. THUS...A HIGH WIND WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR THOSE LOCATIONS...WHILE THE ADVISORY CONTINUES ELSEWHERE. FCST SOUNDINGS ALSO SHOW A DEEPENING MIXED LYR AND MOISTENING LOW/MID LVL AIRMASS OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEB DURING LATE SUNDAY MORNING. THIS WILL FAVOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHALLOW CONVECTIVE SNOW SHOWERS. PREVIOUS FCST HANDLES THAT SCENARIO FAIRLY WELL...SO FEW CHANGES WERE MADE. RISING MID LVL HEIGHTS OCCUR ON MONDAY AS LOW LVL WAA SPREADS EAST ACROSS THE PLAINS. THIS RESULTS IN A SHIFT IN THE POSITION OF A RIDGE AXIS OVER THE WEST...TOWARDS THE HIGH PLAINS. MODELS HAVE SLOWED THIS SCENARIO SLIGHTLY COMPARED TO PREVIOUS RUNS...THUS ADJUSTED HIGH TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY DOWN A FEW DEGREES. WARM WESTERLY LOW LVL FLOW IS FCST TO CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...FAVORING ABOVE NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURES. SLIGHTLY BETTER AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ECMWF AND GFS IS DEPICTED WITH THE APPROACH OF A S/W TROUGH EMANATING OUT OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES ON TUESDAY. THIS YIELDS HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN UPR 50S OCCURRING OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA /RAISED TEMPS A DEG OR TWO/. HOWEVER...DUE TO REMAINING UNCERTAINTY REGARDING INCREASING CLOUD COVER AND LOW LVL FRONTAL SURGE OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEB...DECIDED TO KEEP HIGHS OVER THOSE LOCATIONS UNCHANGED. WITH THE APPROACHING TROUGH...LOW TO MID LVL FRONTOGENESIS COUPLED WITH INCREASING LARGE SCALE ASCENT IS FCST TO DEVELOP OVER THE CWA AS EARLY AS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN RAIN SHOWERS OVER OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES...TRANSITIONING TO SNOW AND SPREADING SOUTH THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. ASCENT THEN SLIDES SOUTHEAST WITH THE PROGRESSIVE MID LVL WAVE...EXITING THE CWA BY 12Z WEDNESDAY...WITH ONLY FLURRIES EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITHIN A COLD POST FRONTAL AIRMASS. && .AVIATION... TODAY...AREAS OF MVFR AND POCKETS OF IFR ALONG AND NORTH OF NEBRASKA HIGHWAY 2. MIXED VFR AND MVFR ELSEWHERE. NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2...STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION ACROSS NRN NEBRASKA WILL PRODUCE A BANK OF STRATUS THROUGH TONIGHT. EAST OF KVTN...SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL REDUCE CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY BELOW OVC010 AND 1SM AT TIMES. FLIGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVE TO MIXED VFR/MVFR WEST OF KVTN. THE SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD END BY 06Z TONIGHT. SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2...DEEPER VERTICAL MIXING WILL LIMIT CEILING HEIGHTS TO AROUND OVC040. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL REDUCE CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY TO OVC020 AND 3SM AT TIMES. 3KFT AGL WINDS TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE 34040G55KT WITH STRONGEST WINDS ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR NEZ022-056>058-069. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ THIS AFTERNOON FOR NEZ004>010-023>029-035>038-059-070-071-094. && SHORT TERM/EXTENDED...GARNER AVIATION...CDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 519 AM CST SUN NOV 30 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-011130- SHERIDAN-EASTERN CHERRY-KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN- GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON- LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER- WESTERN CHERRY- 519 AM CST SUN NOV 30 2008 /419 AM MST SUN NOV 30 2008/ ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON... ...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG PACIFIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE HIGH WINDS TODAY ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND THE SOUTHERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. LESSER BUT STILL STRONG WINDS WILL OCCUR ELSEWHERE ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE STRONG WINDS WILL SUBSIDE THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE CDC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A mesonet observation near Oshkosh, in Garden County, recorded a wind gust of 58 mph at 10 am MST. Sustained winds of 40 mph or greater continued for an additional 4 hours.
A mesonet observation near Chappell, in Deuel County, recorded sustained winds of 40 mph or greater for 3 hours beginning at 11 am MST.
The Ogallala airport AWOS site recorded a measured wind gust of 59 mph at 1230 pm MST. Sustained winds of 40 mph or greater for 3 hours also occurred.
Wind gusts to 58 mph occurred across Perkins County beginning at 1230 pm MST. Sustained winds of 40 mph or greater for 3 hours also occurred.
The Imperial airport ASOS recorded a peak wind gust to 58 mph at 1221 pm MST. Sustained winds of 40 mph or greater for 3 hours also occurred.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, November 2008
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 137307, 137308, 137309, 137310, 137311.